


I Remember

by zefurr



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Depressed Derek Hale, Derek Never Left, Derek is bad at feelings, M/M, Mutual Pining, Scott tries.., but Derek remembers him, gonna add more tags as it goes on, stiles is taken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2018-09-17 02:52:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9300860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zefurr/pseuds/zefurr
Summary: When the Wild Hunt takes Stiles, no one seems to remember the boy. No one except Derek who is determined to not only make the people of Beacon Hills remember but bring back the boy who is his mate. And a wolf never forgets his mate.





	1. A Plan in Motion

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the prompt for now. Should i continue working on this? Thoughts?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles shares his feelings of unease lately in Beacon Hills

1

It all started out like any other day. He’d go to school, come home, make dinner for him and his dad, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. Nothing to it. Stiles was used to this routine by now.

Of course there was also the pack to deal with. With the addition of Corey & Mason now into their fold, they were becoming more than just a rag tag group of teenagers. They were becoming a real pack.

Things had settled down for a millionth of a second after the dread doctor’s abrupt departure from Beacon Hills. It gave the pack a false sense of serenity hat Beacon Hills hasn’t offered in a long time.

Then the strange storms started occurring. Flashes of lightning and Stiles couldn’t shake the feeling that with every one, something was missing. He had mentioned this to Scott who shrugged it off and him worrying too much. Derek on the other hand took it with a bit more concern.

The two had grown closer since his return a few months ago. It was strange at first having two alphas on the same territory. Wolves are known for being territorial but they made it work somehow. Emphasis on the somehow. It was more like the elephant in the room no one wanted to address.

Stiles would help Derek with research on whatever topic the man asked of him. He became increasing interested in the happenings in Beacon Hills in his absence. Stiles had even gone over to his new place, an apartment downtown. It was a temporary home for now. Finally getting the courage to say goodbye to his childhood home and rebuild. He still owns the territory anyway.

The two had even hung out at Stiles’ place on more than one occasion for movie nights. Derek didn’t really have anyone but Peter who was MIA at the moment. Not that he would’ve wanted the creeper wolf’s company anyway. So he gladly accompanied the nonstop talking boy on more than one marathon of Star Wars.

That was how they began spending more and more time with each other. Derek even coming over for dinner with him and his dad, which was awkward in itself at first. The sheriff took it in stride though seeing how content his son looked. A look he hasn’t seen in a long time. He wasn’t stupid though. He saw the way they glanced at each other when the thought the other wasn’t looking oblivious to the third party at the table.

The pack also exchanged knowing looks whenever the two would come around to meetings. Scott wanting to keep Derek in the know about the insanity happening in Beacon Hills. Malia bluntly stating how their scents started to mingle but Stiles shrugged it off. Liam would complain about Derek’s cologne, while Mason would laugh. Corey would stay silent for the most part and Lydia would stare daggers at the two of them smirking. Stiles didn’t think much of it but Derek felt differently.

He didn’t know when it first started happening but Derek felt a connection with the boy who ran his mouth a mile a minute. It was endearing, especially when he’d show passion for a subject he liked. Derek ignored his instincts telling him that Stiles is more than a friend afraid to mess up what they had. He couldn’t lose another person important in his life. That question took him back a bit ‘when did Stiles become important in my life?’ he thought.

Stiles on the other hand, had been pining after Derek since he came back. He’d missed the brooding man’s company more than anything. Spending even the smallest amount of time made him feel content in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Ever since Kira left with the skinwalkers, he and Scott had been hanging more often so he felt bad about ditching him for Derek. Although when he thought about it, Scott ditched him for Allison then Kira respectively so he felt he was owed some indirect payback. Not to mention all the pack werewolf mojo he’d miss out on being the lowly human. Even Lydia was included more.

So when Stiles expressed this uneasy feeling to Derek one day while preparing dinner, Derek suggested they got to Deaton’s.

\------------------------------------------------------

“How long has this uneasy feeling be around” the vet asked putting some tools away. Stiles sat in the chair adjacent from his while Derek stood at a distance looking out the window.

 

“Ever since these weird storms started happening. You feel it too? This feeling that forgot something that’s on the tip of your tongue but no matter what you can’t remember?” Stiles asked fidgeting in the chair more with every word. Derek turned and shot him a worried glance. Stiles gave him a reassuring look.

 

“I can look into it. I have an idea of what this might be. For now Mr. Stilinski I wouldn’t worry about the unknown” Deaton said washing his hands. Stiles shot him an ‘are you seriously forgetting where we live’ look. Deaton smiled which is probably as close to a laugh as Stiles will ever see from the man.

 

“Go home Stiles. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, but I do not believe there is anything to worry about.” This time it was Derek who shot him a look picking up the tick in his heart.

 

Stiles sighed and go up from his chair and made his towards the door. As Derek was about to follow him out, Deaton stopped him.

“Mr. Hale, a word?” Deaton asked. Stiles shrugged and told him he’d meet him in the car. Derek and nodded and made him way towards the back part of the room.

 

“Did you need something?” Derek asked. Deaton seemed to ponder that for a moment before he spoke.

 

“Does he know?” Deaton deadpanned. Derek look confused before the realization hit him and he looked away crossing his arms.

 

“No he doesn’t. And I don’t plan on telling him”

 

“You know that what happened wasn’t your faul-“ Deaton began.

 

“Stop” Derek said simply putting his jacket on. “We’ll keep in touch if anything comes up.” Deaton sighs but nods.

 

“One of these days you’re gonna have to let someone in.” He says grabbing his keys and turns off the back lights. Derek turns and smirks walking towards the door.

 

“And I will one day but that day won’t be today” Derek says and leaves the man behind. He walks towards the Camaro and opens the door to find Stiles on his phone arms propped on the door. He puts it away as Derek enters.

 

“So what did Deaton want?” Stiles asks. Derek put on his seatbelt and started up the car backing out.

“Nothing important. Just following up on some stuff from the past” Derek answered. If Stiles felt a lie he didn’t mention it as they drove back to the Stilinski residence in silence. Stiles still couldn’t shake a feeling of forgetfulness and dread.

\----------------------------------------------------------------


	2. Something doesn't feel right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles shares his feelings of unease lately in Beacon Hills

2

Stiles still didn’t shake this feeling despite what Deaton had said the other day. It followed him all day even into his math class he shared with Lydia. He noticed there were two empty seats behind him and he couldn’t for the life of him remember if anyone sat there. He whispered to Lydia next to him.

 

“Have those seats always been empty?” He asked pointing with his pencil to the desks behind him. Lydia gave him a half glare and looked in the direction. She nearly froze. Lydia had the blank expression on her face as if she was deep in thought. This couldn’t be good.

 

“Lyds…you okay there?” Stiles asked worried.

 

“I can’t….I can’t remember. I don’t think so” Lydia replied finally. It did nothing to sooth Stiles’ worries as even she felt unsure of her answer. She was nearly shaking. Lydia could’ve sworn she was forgetting something or someone. Two someones who should be sitting right there.

 

‘Something weird is going on’ Stiles thought irritably. Freaking Beacon Hills can never give them a break. He texted Scott to meet him in the library at lunch time. 

 

By the time he and Lydia arrived, Scott, Liam, and Mason were already there. They were seated towards the back of the library by the windows. Perfect for privacy in this case. Stiles sat at the empty chair next to Scott and Lydia to the one across from him

 

“So what is this about Stiles?” Scott said sounding a little annoyed. “You said it was an emergency.”

 

Stiles sent a glare to his best friend but nodded. “It is. Don’t sound so concerned” Stiles said with his usual brand of sarcasm. Liam snorted from across the table and Scott sent the boy a growl.

 

“Alright.” Lydia whispered sternly. “Can we get down to business already? Some of us want to actually make it lunch BEFORE it ends” she whispered harshly to both of them. Scott looks defeated which made him look like a sad puppy while Liam snickered with Mason.

 

“Ok so lately I’m been having this uneasy feeling as if something is missing.” Stiles began ignoring the annoyed look Scott worked back up. “And usually I’d just ignore it but it’s been a nagging thought ever since those freak storms have been happening. Not to mention Lydia feeling the exact same thing earlier in class.”

 

That was Lydia’s cue to pick up the conversation from there. “In class, it didn’t hit me til I saw the desks behind us. They looked…used of course but what high school desk at Beacon Hills wouldn’t at this point?” she said matter-of-factly. “It felt like…I needed to scream but at the same time I didn’t. I don’t know how to explain it.” This caught everyone’s attention. Lydia, being a banshee, would only scream when someone is about to die.

 

“Are you saying someone is going to die?” Scott asked. Stiles rolled his eyes in his own annoyance. ‘Way to be “best friend of the year”’ he thought bitterly.

 

Lydia shook her head. “That’s the thing. I don’t think anyone is going to die. But I can feel a part of them missing. Almost like an after-thought.” She seemed pretty upset trying to remember about it from earlier.  “Stiles already informed Derek of what’s been going on and Deaton said he’d look into it” she told the group.

 

“You went to Deaton’s?” Scott asked surprised.

 

“Well you were brushing me off and this feeling wouldn’t go away. I told Derek first though. HE listened to me” Stiles said emphasizing his point. Scott at least had the decency to look ashamed.

 

“So do we know what we’re dealing with here?” Mason cut in. He’d been silent this whole exchange. “Is this another chimera?” It was Stiles’ turn to shake his head.

 

“No. I don’t feel like it is. We haven’t seen any chimeras since…” he trailed off.

 

“Since the skin walkers dragged Theo to the shadow realm?” Liam offered. Stiles grinned at that.

 

“I wouldn’t put it like that but yes. The fact is that we can be dealing with something we never faced before. Which is usually the case when dealing with Beacon Hills. So stay together and stay vigilant.”

 

They all nodded. “If anything comes up, we’ll text you” Lydia said grabbing her purse and getting up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s still time left for our lunch and I plan on not going hungry today” she said and left.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Derek came over to Stiles’ house after school like he usually did these days. Stiles skipped the rest of lunch to work on assignments so he’d be free.

 

“Hey” he said when Derek got out of his car and met him at the door.

 

“Hey” Derek said simply as Stiles opened the front the door. He dropped his bag on the couch and made his way to the kitchen. Derek sat on the stool at the island watching Stiles rummage through his fridge.

“Hungry?” he asked the older man who nodded in return.

 

“Hope you like turkey and wheat. Haven’t had the chance to go grocery shopping this week” he said pulling out some lettuce and condiments before kicking the door shut.

 

“Anything you make will be fine” Derek said as Stiles picked up a cutting board from the top of the microwave.

 

“Did Deaton ever get back to you?” he asked.

 

Derek rubbed his face with a hand tiredly. “No, and it hasn’t made me feel any better. I keep expecting the worst. But I don’t think we’ve even seen it yet.” Stiles wasn’t expecting the man to say so much. He must have been sitting on that thought for a while.

 

Stiles finished making their sandwiches making sure to make two for Derek cause hello? Werewolf. They retreated to the living room to watch whatever show on mtv in comfortable silence blushing whenever the other would make an accidental brush against the other’s skin.

 

Derek eventually ended up having to leave. Stiles’ father would be home soon and he wasn’t too keen on the idea of his son, even if he isn’t underage, hanging out with an ex-accused murderer. Noah Stilinski knew of the supernatural world but that doesn’t mean he’s okay with every aspect.

 

Stiles walked him out and stopped at the door. “If I find out anything I’ll call. Thanks for the sandwiches.” Derek told him putting his jacket on.

 

“Yeah no problem. I’ll let you know if I find anything out myself.” Derek nodded and Stiles leaned against the door as the other man left for his car. Saying goodbye to Derek even casually was starting to get harder. It was like an increasing ache in his chest he couldn’t explain.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay this is starting to get freaky” Lydia told Stiles the next day at school. He was in the library reading for a class when Lydia walked it looking frantic. Stiles dropped his book and sat up in his chair looking her over.

 

“What’s up?” he asked slowly.

 

“I’ll tell you what’s up. This girl going around school asking where her missing sister is.” Lydia said sitting her bag down.

 

“What’s weird about that?” Stiles asked.

 

“It wouldn’t be so weird…if she had a sister to begin with. No one had ever heard of her. That combined with what you told me got me thinking so I did a little research of my own.” She said taking a book out of her purse. It was titled “Wild Hunt”.

 

“The ‘Wild Hunt’?”

 

“Otherwise known as ghost riders. They’re phantom hunters who’d ride into the night with storm clouds like the freak storms that have been happening lately. They take people, erase them from existence along with any memory of that person” Lydia said showing him parts of the book.

 

Now it was Stiles’ turn to look freaked. “We have to go see Deaton” he said. “I’ll call Derek and we’ll go to him after school.”

 

Just when things were starting to feel normal in their senior year, Beacon Hills decides to throw them a dangerous curveball. Stiles worried for the safety of his friends…and admittedly for Derek, a lot. Unknowing to him, a brooding werewolf was equally worried about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if some of my info is off. I haven't watch the first half of the last season in a bit so im going off of what i remember. Comments are appreciated. Thanks for giving the confidence to keep this going. Next chapter should be up this Thursday


	3. The Wild Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange things are happening in Beacon Hills

3  
The veterinarian wasn’t expecting so many visitors at once. Not only was the usual crew of Scott, Stiles, and Lydia there but also some new faces and Derek Hale again.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Deaton asked incredulously. “I was just about to close up shop for the evening.”

Lydia walked over and put the book she showed Stiles earlier on the counter. Deaton took a glance at it, face stoic and thinking. 

“The Wild Hunt. A name that no one wants to hear outside of stories.” Deaton said simply. Lydia raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow of her own rivaling the Hales’. 

“So you’re familiar with them then?” she asked crossing her arms. Mason & Liam took to looking around the office messing with empty cages. Stiles stood behind Lydia on her left while Derek took up the other side occasionally glancing at the former. Scott leaned on the counter near the book.

“The short answer is yes” Deaton said as cryptic as ever. Stiles sighed.

“So do you think this is what we’ve been dealing with? The reason behind the freaky lightning storms, uneasy feelings I seem to not be having alone, and seemingly missing people?” Stiles asked irritably. He was scared and fear made him snappy. Derek shot him a worried look.

Deaton didn’t seem to take offense at the sudden outburst from the boy. He just set his bag down on a chair and walked over to a bookcase next to a neatly organized desk. 

“The Wild Hunt isn’t something I’ve had the time to research completely myself but I am somewhat familiar with the story. They come in on storm clouds and take people never to be seen again. Those people are essentially erased from existence. Those taken by the Wild Hunt, will hunt with them for all eternity.” he said grabbing a book placed behind another from the second to bottom shelf. 

Deaton blew a coating of dust off the book and opened it up. It was old, very old. The pages were faded and nearly yellow and the text was handwritten in cursive ink. There were illustration on some pages, crude, but gave you a general idea of what the passage is describing. “Of course, until now I’ve only thought of it as a possibility, not a reality” he said grimly. 

“Wait” Liam said speaking up from where he was. “You said before that people are ‘essentially’ erased. Not completely. So does that mean there’s a chance they’re still not?” he asked confusing himself.

Stiles and Scott exchanged an equally confused look before Lydia’s eyes got wide. “That actually makes perfect sense!” she exclaimed. Everyone’s attention was then on her and she spun around.

“Think about it for a sec. No one can be completely erased from existing. It just wouldn’t be logical. And yes we’re dealing with things that normally wouldn’t be logical anyway but bear with me” she said pulling out a notebook and pen from her purse. 

“Think about it in the cliché sense that everyone leaves a ‘mark’ on this world no matter how small it might be” she said drawing picture of a triskelion. Derek raised an eyebrow at this. 

“Derek’s family for example have this mark. Their pack symbol. It’s their mark and it exists even if one of them didn’t. Derek looked away now. Lydia shot him an apologetic glance. He seemed to understand she didn’t mean any harm by it.

“I think I get what you mean” Stiles spoke up. “So even if the ghost riders take someone, they’ve left something, their ‘mark’ in this world?” he asked and Lydia nodded. 

“That would make sense. Of course the documentation of this is very minimal but I can ask around and see if any of my contacts know anything more” Deaton said walking over to Stiles.

“Here. This is one of the only books I have on the subject. I personally can’t help as much as I’d like to but I’m sure you can get much more use of it” he said giving it to Stiles. It wasn’t as light as it looked and that caught Stiles off guard as he stumbled a bit. 

“Find out as much as you can in the meantime. Now that we have an idea of what we’re dealing with, we can come up with something” Deaton said scratching the back of head in thought. “I’m sorry I cannot be of much help.”

Lydia smiled. “You’ve been plenty already thank you Deaton.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Stiles sighed in frustration putting the book down on his desk. Derek looked up from his laptop on Stiles’ bed. 

“Find anything new?” he asked.

“No, this print is nearly impossible to make out. Some of the words are faded, and other nearly unintelligible. It’s annoying” Stiles grumbled.  
“Maybe that’s why the good doctor was eager to give it up.” Derek snorted. 

“Did Derek Hale actually make a sarcastic funny?” Stiles asked laughing. Derek rolled his eyes and went back to focusing on his laptop.

“I must have died and gone to a weird bizzaro world. Tell me, do you smile as well? At least then I’ll know hell would have frozen over. Or maybe it’s the sign of the apocalypse. Four horsemen and Derek Hale telling jokes.”

“Shut up Stiles.” Derek groaned. Stiles laughed again at the man’s expression. “Where is Scott?” Derek asked.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Usually I’d say making kissy faces with Kira but she’s….not around for the time being so I honestly don’t know. He was really weird at school today too.”

“Weird how?” Derek said looking up again.

“Weirdly distant. Almost like he was constantly distracted. Which, honestly isn’t that far from normal, but he just felt off today. And he hasn’t responded to my texts either.”

“Maybe he’s just busy with homework?” Derek offered.

Stiles shrugged. “He is trying to be a better student for his mom so that could be the case. And we did have an English test today for Finstock. Maybe that’s why we seemed off.”

“It’s Scott. So it’s most than likely nothing. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

Stiles smiled affectionately at the older man. Derek raised an eyebrow at the boy sitting backwards in his swiveling chair facing him. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you actually care about my feelings.”

“Then I guess you don’t know better then.” Derek shot back affectionately. 

Stiles blushed. Derek heard the sound of keys jingly by the front door. “Your father is home. I’ll be back tomorrow” he said getting up and putting his laptop away.”

“Oh, well see you tomorrow then.” Stiles said and Derek nodded smirking at him before leaving through the window.

Stiles was left with his thoughts. Something he usually doesn’t like but tonight they occupied with thoughts of a man who was possibly flirting with him earlier. That can’t be the case, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for any grammatical error. Usually I'm so excited I forget to proofread


	4. Everything Will Be Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles needs a hug

4

Something was definitely off and Stiles thinks he knows why. A few minutes before Stiles had to leave for school, as the sun was rising, Stiles saw shadows moving in his house. 

At first, he shrugged it off as a reflection of the trees outside or a figment of his imagination. It’d be not that big of surprise after the Nogitsune. He still suffers occasionally from hallucinations but he’s managed to keep that information to himself.

Walking slowly to the edge of the stairs, he stared up at a receding shadow almost daring him to follow. Stiles knew he should’ve left well enough alone, but in his mind he was taking control of his psyche. 

Stiles crept up the stairs until he reached the top and stared down the hallway that seemed to be a lot longer than usual. His gaze rose until he saw the last door at the end, ajar. What was standing in front looked like something out of a horror movie. 

It was a man, or at least that was the shape it took, his eyes were missing as was his mouth. His attire looked to be something out of an old western film. He had it all, hat, overcoat, chaps, boots, even the twin gun holsters.  
Normally, Stiles would’ve made a joke, probably referencing a certain video game, out of nervous habit but right now his voice was caught in his throat and he couldn’t speak. 

The thing look at Stiles directly in the eye, or at least that what it felt like. Then as quickly as Stiles saw it, he was gone in an unnatural gust of wind and leaves. Stiles stood for another few moment before he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Fast forward to later that day, the pack was acting strange around him at lunch. He could chalk it up to forgetfulness and he really wanted to. When he tried voicing his concerns even about was he saw that morning, they ignored him.

Stiles is used to being ignored by his friend but this was on a whole nother level. It was like….he didn’t exist. That feeling didn’t make him feel any better as the day went on.

Stiles started to put two and two together fighting off a panic attack in the boy’s bathroom. The strange man in his house wasn’t a man at all. The one who he thought was a leftover hallucination from the Nogitsune was actually a ghost rider. And Stiles had saw him. Stiles was going to be taken.

‘No, no no no NO!’ Stiles thought fearfully. Things were already bad, and they just kept getting worse. He had just got his life to a normal level of manageable crazy and then another wild card comes up.

He tried to keep himself under control around Derek later that evening. It was a testament to how well he could lie and fake it to a werewolf. He didn’t bring up anything because he was afraid if he’d speak the reality of his situation into existence. He knew he should’ve told Derek but he was scared, he was more scared than any monster they’d ever faced.

Derek wasn’t as naïve as Stiles thought. Something was definitely off with the young man that evening. He barely said a word throughout the movie. Stiles Stilinski is not a man so stay silent during one of his favorite movie, THE AVENGERS, so Derek was worried. But he also didn’t know the boundaries of their new and uncharted relationship so he didn’t want to press the issue.

After Derek left, Stiles didn’t sleep that night. He was scared, scared of what will happen eventually. If today was any indication, his existence was being erased. He was terrified of going downstairs afraid his father would forget him and kick him out thinking of him as a stranger. 

The one thought that brought him solace was that Derek despite everyone else forgetting, still remembered him. He acted as if nothing had happened between the last time he saw the man and tonight. So if that was the case then why did Derek still remember him?  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next was even worse for Stiles. Scott has taken to completely ignoring him at school. The rest of the pack acted like they’d never seen him before. Even his own father at school thought he was a stranger. 

That was the final nail in the coffin for Stiles. He left school early. He got in his jeep and drove around Beacon Hills aimlessly with too much on his head to sort out. He pulled to a stop outside a certain friendly sourwolf’s home and cut the engine. 

Stiles never went over to Derek’s home. At least not unannounced and without a purpose. But he needed someone. He wasn’t even sure Derek would remember him at this point. Fighting back tears, he forced himself to get out the car and climb the steps to the loft. He paused before knocking not sure if he wanted to go through with this after all. He wasn’t sure if he could handle Derek forgetting him as well.

Just as he was about to turn tail back for his jeep, the door opened and there stood Derek Hale. Suffering from bedhead and barefoot in jeans and a long sleeve back shirt cut to the neck revealing just a glimpse of chest hair.

It was a few moments before anyone spoke. Stiles tried to speak but no sound came out. Fearful that, that was answer enough he mumbled an apology and turned and walked back down the porch. Until a firm hand touch his shoulder. 

“So you come all this way here just to leave without even saying hi?” the man asked with a warm smile. Stiles was too dumbstruck to even make a sarcastic response to that. He just broke down right then and there. Collapsed to his knees and crying mostly in relief.

Not sensing this, Derek knelt down to Stiles’ level cupping his cheek with his hand forcing Stiles to look at him. The only look Stiles so on the man’s face was of extreme worry. “Stiles, what’s wrong?”

A better question would be what isn’t wrong, Stiles thought dryly wiping tears from his face. He ended up telling Derek everything about the past week and the day before. Derek was noticeably upset he waited so long to tell him but understood what Stiles might have been feeling. 

“Come on inside, we can figure this out. Everything will be okay” Derek said helping the man to his feet. For the first time in a while, Stiles let himself believe in those words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating in a while. Let's just say life happened.


	5. Taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles work to try stopping the inevitable

5

 

It had been hours since Stiles came over and he continued to pace around the loft while Derek watched from the kitchen island. Every time Stiles felt like he was on the cusp of an idea, it would leave just as quickly and he’d go back to pacing the room.

 

“You’re gonna wear a hole in the flooring if you keep doing that” Derek said only slightly amused. He was genuinely worried Stiles would overthink himself into a panic attack. Stiles was still amazed and relieved at his stroke of luck to get mad at the man.

 

“I’m glad I thought to keep that book in my jeep. But reading it is still a pain.”

 

“I’m sure it is. But you’re smart and I’m here, so between the two of us we’ll figure something out.” A moment of silence followed before Stiles spoke again. He stopped his pacing to face Derek.

 

“Y’know, you’re really smart yourself you know that?” Stiles stated matter-of-factly. Derek shrugged but on the inside he beamed at the praise.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

            The two kept at it for hours, Stiles transcribing the old text while Derek searched online. It was dark when Derek stood and yawned. He looked over at Stiles still researching away nearly nodding off every couple of words typed.

 

“I don’t think there’s much else I can do today. And you either, we both need rest” he said. Stiles didn’t pay him much attention still focused on his studies.

 

“I don’t have time to rest. I have to figure out these ghost rider’s angle and how to not get taken” he yawned. “Besides, you have coffee in the cupboard. I’ll just brew a batch, don’t worry about me.”

 

Derek scoffed at that. “There’s no way I can’t not worry about you. Especially now Stiles” he said running a hand through his hair. “I know you’re scared and so am I, but you can’t work yourself ragged.”

 

Stiles sighed and reluctantly saved his work and bookmarked a page in the text. He was frustrated with his lack of progress. Most of what he’s found out is stuff they’ve already known.

 

He’d love to ask Deaton if he knew more or possibly heard from his contacts, but he doesn’t think the man will remember him either. He turns to Derek now that his computer is off.

“You think Deaton will be of any help?” he asked the man. Derek thought about it for a second. He honestly hadn’t really considered it since Deaton wasn’t of much help the first time around. But beggars can’t be choosers.

 

“It’s worth a shot, we can go first thing in the morning” Derek said heading for his bedroom.

 

Stiles stayed where he was on the couch unsure of what to do. “It’s cool if I crash here right?” he asked the older man.

 

Derek stopped in the hallway. It never crossed his mind that Stiles would stay anywhere else. “Of course” he answered calming the boy’s worries. “As long as you need.”

 

That seemed to do it as Stiles smiled and visibly relaxed. Derek went into the hallway closet and pulled out a comforter and a towel. “Here, we can get amenities and stuff tomorrow. This should hold you over for now though.”

 

“Thank you Derek.” ‘ _For everything_ ’ Stiles thought to himself. Derek just nodded. He was never really good with words so his next action surprised even himself.

 

He pulled Stiles in for a hug. Just holding him there for a minute catching Stiles off guard. He even scented the boy, happy to smell his scent on him, even if a little.

 

Surprised, but soon wearing off, Stiles returned the gesture wrapping his arms around Derek’s torso. Tears threatened to spill but he was honestly too tired, physically and mentally, to cry more.

 

Derek let go of him and voiced a ‘goodnight’ before heading to his room. Stiles cleared his backpack and pillows from the couch. He set it up like a makeshift bed and dressed down to his shirt and a pair of shorts from his bag.

 

The only thought on his mind was worry but even that wasn’t enough to keep him from sleep. After a bit of reflection, he was fast asleep.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, the two went over to Deaton’s. Derek had Stiles wait in the Camaro while he checked out things with the vet.

 

Opening the door he finds Deaton cleaning instruments in the sink. “Oh, Mr. Hale. I wasn’t expecting a visit.”

 

“It was pretty last minute. Tell me, does the name Stilinski mean anything to you?” Derek asked. Deaton looked at him puzzled for a moment before he spoke.

 

“Well it wouldn’t be very good of me not to know our own town’s sheriff would it?” he answered. Derek didn’t know how to gauge that answer.

 

“What about the name Stiles?” he said slowly. Deaton’s brow creased in thought as if he hit the nail on the head. But as quickly as the thought came, it was gone.

 

“It sounds familiar but I can’t say that I can put a face to it” he said. That was answer enough for Derek.

 

“Do you remember us being here earlier this week Deaton?” Derek asked. The man nodded his head.

 

“You asked me about The Wild Hunt. What is this all abou-”

 

“Thank you Deaton” Derek interrupted. He turned tail and walked back out of the vet’s place of business.

 

When he got back to the car, Stiles looked at him with hopeful eyes. The sight equally making him dread as it did warm his heart.

 

“So what’s up? What did Deaton say?” Stiles asked. Deaton put his keys in the ignition and back out of the parking spot. As he drove off, Deaton watched from the blinds of his window seeing a figure in the passenger seat.

 

“He wasn’t very helpful” Derek answered finally. Stiles sighed in defeat. He looked out the window at the overcast sky feeling drearier than yesterday.

 

“Hey” Derek started. Stiles turned his head and looked at the man whose eyes were focused on the road ahead. “We’re gonna get through this okay? We can keep deciphering that book in the meantime. I’ll even make some coffee, the good stuff.”

 

Stiles’ somber face lit up in a up smile. “I’d like that” he said.  The rest of the trip was silent as they headed back to the house.

 

The evening filled the older man’s home with sounds of flipping pages and clicks on a keyboard. Stiles had figured out a system that worked for him and was able to do twice the work as yesterday. Derek was there to assist him wherever needed. The man mostly doing more research on the deciphered pages.

 

The two went on like this into the early hours of the morning. With the night sky still out, the sounds of whinnying horses could be heard in the distance.

 

The sound woke Stiles who lifted his head from the keyboard. He heard the noise again and got up from his position on the couch to investigate. Derek was still sound asleep next to him.

 

Rubbing his eyes, he approached the window and instantly woke up seeing what was below. A large concentration of black miasmic clouds swirling around the front of the building. Stiles was too panicked to do anything other than run.

 

He grabbed his jacket and opened the window to the fire escape. He hopped on the landing and quickly climbed down. The sound of metal clattering waking Derek up.

 

“Mph, Stiles?” he called out to no answer. He also felt a draft in the usually warm house and looked towards the ajar window. It was not his turn to be on full alert as he ran over to it.

 

Stiles hopped down from the fire escape in the back alley. He steadied himself and started to run in the opposite direction. He didn’t even look around as the sound of clomping hooves got closer and closer.

 

A figure behind him held out a pistol and took aim. A resounding shot exploded in the air and hit Stiles in the back. As he fell from recoil, his already loose jacket slipped off falling to the ground. His body was disappearing in a fit of black mist. The miasmic cloud along with the ghost riders vanishing at the same time.

 

Pounding footsteps can be heard as Derek frantically looked around the alley. Stiles scent suddenly disappeared and it made his heart ache. As he reached the end of the scent trail he looked down on the ground seeing Stiles’ favorite jacket. He picked it up and felt it was still warm. No sign of Stiles could be seen anywhere in the alley.

 

Derek held the jacket close with trembling hands. He let out a loud, broken howl in the night sky. It was fierce and full of the anguish he felt. He dropped to his knees as the first drops of rain fell from the sky.

 

“Stiles…”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for not updating this in forever. Truth be told, i lost inspiration for this fic and am still trying to figure out a direction for it to go. But i want a resolution so i will try to continue updating until i reach a satisfying conclusion.


	6. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek deals with the fallout of Stiles being taken

There was an aching hollowness in Derek’s chest as he walked back into his apartment building. He fumbled with his keys before letting himself in. With no real destination in mind, he headed towards the kitchen.

In his hands, he clutched Stiles’ discarded red hoodie. His knuckles practically looking white from how hard he clutched it. His hands were shaking from both fear and anger.

He blamed himself for what happened. A dozen different scenarios ran through his mind at the moment. If he had been quick enough, smart enough or observant enough, Stiles would still be him. ‘With me’ he mind supplied.

Derek regrets not even telling how he felt about him. He always put his own feeling on the back burner to focus on other problems. It started to become an unhealthy habit for him, repressing his feelings. His mother would tease him for that, he thinks suddenly.

Derek was content pining from Stiles at a distance. He watched the man as he’d smiled at his own stupid jokes, or go on and on about whatever thing caught his interest.

Stiles was an abundance of joy to be around regardless of how Derek tried to play it off. Even Deaton picked up on it. The vet tried bringing up earlier when they visited. Derek wants Stiles, but as more than just some lover. Derek wanted Stiles to be his mate, and that’s a big commitment wolves don’t take lightly.

Sighing, he pulls out his secret stashed of wolfsbane-laced whiskey and pours himself a cup. He snorts to himself thinking Stiles would say he’s “pouring one out” for him.

Even Derek wasn’t strong enough to stop the tears from falling when they did. His sadness was only slightly muffled by the welcome buzz from the alcohol.

He drank until half the bottle was consumed. With his senses clouded, he didn’t hear the jingling of keys in the background.

Lydia Martin’s figure came into view and she took in the sight of Derek. He was slumped over the counter, half-drunken bottle in hand, face streaked with tears and red eyes.

Confused, she carefully walked over to the alpha before taking the bottle out of his hands.

“I think you’ve had enough of this for tonight” she said quietly. He didn’t protest. Not like he would if he could anyway.

A thousand questions ran through Lydia’s own mind, but she figured they could wait until later. Right now, her priority was getting Derek to bed.

She dropped her purse of the love seat before approaching Derek.

“Derek, I need you to help me out. I’m gonna get you to bed okay?” she said gently tapping him. The man didn’t make a coherent response. She took that as a affirmative.

Lydia reached for Derek’s arm and wrapped it over his shoulder and supported the man’s weight. Weeks of practice fighting with Parrish paying off in her strength. Derek being drunk-slumped didn’t make things easier though.

It took strength, perseverance, and a few muttered curse words, but Lydia was able to kick open the alpha’s bedroom door before depositing him on the mattress. She took off his shoes and pulled the covers over him.

Making her way to the door, she took one last look at the man before heading back into the living room.

\---

Lydia made a few calls and sent a few texts letting her friends know she was alright and just over Derek’s. The whole time a nagging feeling kept nipping at her.

It felt as if she was forgetting something, and it bugged her to no end. Deciding to shrug it off for now, she tied her hair into a ponytail.

Lydia went around the room cleaning up the mess Derek made and straightening furniture. She cleaned up the spilled liquor on the counter and put the bottle away in the secret place Derek thinks the other teens don’t know about.

As she was tidying up the living room, she raised a brow at the scattered papers on the couch. Most of it looking like haphazardly made notes in another language.

“Latin?” she said to herself in confusion. Lydia gathered up the papers and and put them in a neat pile next to Derek’s computer.

She took another empty glass to the sink in the kitchen but knocked over something as she passed the counter. She place the glass on the counter to bend over and pick up the dropped item.

She lifted up a strange red hoodie. She turned it around observing it and noting the different permanent stains it held. No doubt very lived in like a second skin.

‘Why would Derek have something like this?’ she wondered. She folded up the hoodie and placed it back on the island chair. There were many questions the Martin girl had for the sleeping alpha and when he woke up, she’d get those answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so SO sorry for updating this fic so late. The inspiration kind of died for a bit along with me not having a laptop. And then i moved onto to other projects but now i'm back to update this fic semi regularly. I wanna finish it though so don't worry. 
> 
> side note: I'm still immensely happy that teen wolf is over. It had bad writing from an immature director who couldn't even capture his straight relationships properly let alone expand on the chemistry he created with queer characters outside of a queerbaited kissing/sex scene. But thats a story for another day ;)


	7. Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek took stock of his body as the previous night’s events caught up to him. He came home and starting drinking. That explains both the hangover and nausea, but not how he got into bed.

Sunlight filtered in from the bedroom window. It’s light slowly ascending up the alpha’s sleeping form until it landed on his closed eyes.

The unfiltered light making him scrunch up before angry, red eyes pried open to the world. Derek shielded his vision from the harsh morning rays. He had been meaning to buy some blinds forever but never got around to it.

He tried sitting up only to squeeze his eyes shut again to the hangover he felt. The splitting headache making him feel nauseous as he sat up against the headboard.

Derek took stock of his body as the previous night’s events caught up to him. He came home and starting drinking. That explains both the hangover and nausea, but not how he got into bed.

Last he remembered, he passed out on the kitchen counter clutching his spiked bottle of whiskey. Even his shoes were off. ‘Did I sleep walk?’ he thought tiredly.

Then it all came back to him. The reason ‘why’ he was drinking in the first place. Stiles. Derek quickly jumped out of bed ignoring his headache and headed down the stairs.

Stiles of course wasn’t there like Derek meekly hoped, but sitting at the island drinking a cup of tea was Lydia Martin.

“Oh great, you’re awake. Hope you don’t mind that I spent the night here. You left this place a mess and I was tired after cleaning” she told him.

True to her word, the loft looked spotless. Even the research papers were stacked in a neat pile.

Wait, ‘the research papers!’ Derek’s mind supplied. He ran over to the pile and quickly sifted through them all trying to make sense of Stiles’ writing. He hadn’t gotten very far with his share of research before Stiles was taken.

“Hey, Earth to Derek. Still here ya know?” Lydia said waving from the counter. Derek was too enraptured in trying to decipher the notes Stiles left behind.

Sighing, Lydia got up from her seat the kitchen island and walked over to where Derek was kneeling.

“What is all this stuff anyway? And why were you passed out drunk last night? And who’s hoodie is that?” she asked.

At the moment of the hoodie, Derek lifted his head up from where it was buried in the pile of papers. He ran over to the kitchen island where the hoodie still sat at. Lydia’s scent slightly masking Stiles’ own.

He grabbed the hoodie and held it close leaning his head in to inhale the lingering scent.

“Derek, seriously, you’re starting to scare me” Lydia said slowly approaching the frantic man.

Derek seemed to regain his senses then and sighed. “Sit down, it’s a long story.” he told her.

\---

Derek went through everything from who Stiles was to his kidnapping which inevitably led to Derek’s midnight drinking binge.

“So this Stiles person, he’s pretty important to you isn’t he?” she asked. Derek nodded. They had moved from the kitchen to the living room. Derek sat on the sofa while Lydia took the love seat.

“And these….spirit cowboys-”

“Ghost riders” Derek corrected.

“Ghost riders, right. They took Stiles because he saw them. And people who see these guys are erased from existence?” Derek nodded. Lydia rubbed her temples trying to make heads and tails of this story.

“I know its a lot-” Derek began,

“A lot?” Lydia said laughing dryly. “A lot is the homework we get in AP class. A lot is the amount of clothes I buy on my dad’s account. ‘This’, is monumental.” she said.

Derek couldn’t argue with her there. If he had told himself the same story, he probably wouldn’t believe him either.

“But I believe you” she said interrupting his thoughts. He looked up from where he had his head in his hands.

“You do?” Derek asked. Lydia nodded.

“As long as I’ve known you, I’ve only seen you cry once. And that was when the alpha’s made you….to Boyd” she said not able to bring herself to say it. “And I know you’d never lie about something like this.”

“I wouldn’t” he agreed. She nodded sharply.

“Right. So now, we just have to figure out how to get him back, right?”

“It’s not that simpl-”

“You love this guy don’t you?” She said simply.

“Lydia-”

“Well?”

“Yes, alright fine! I love Stiles. He….he is my mate. Losing him feels like losing a piece of my soul. I never even got to tell him that.”

“Well alright then” Lydia said getting up. She walked over to the kitchen counter grabbing her purse. She looked back at Derek raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

“Well? Are you coming or not?” she asked.

Derek slowly rose form the couch.

“What are you talking about?” he asked her. She sighed.

“To Deaton’s. If anyone knows about this stuff it’d be him” she answered.

“We’ve gone to Deaton’s already. Stiles got a book from him and the man didn’t even remember him when everyone else didn’t.”

Lydia dropped her bag on the floor, defeated. She walked back on to the love seat and slumped down.

“Well there goes plan A” she muttered. Derek smiled sympathetically. Lydia sits in the love seat crossing her arms before another thought comes to her.

“Wait, why are ‘you’ the only one who remembers this Stiles anyway?” she asked.

Derek was taken aback by her question. Now that he thinks about it, he honestly doesn’t know. Stiles may be gone along with his scent, but he can still feel like the man is with him faintly.

“I’m… not sure” he admitted.

“Well I think I have an idea. And if what you say is true, and this ‘Stiles’ is your mate, that might be the key” she said. Lydia got up again and walked over to Derek’s bookshelf.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You said you got a book from Deaton right? Really old, faded, yellow pages?” she said. Derek nodded.

“Well if your Stiles is actually as smart as me, I should be able to decrypt those pages myself” she said smiling.

Derek couldn’t help but find himself returning the smile. “I think the book is in my room” he said getting up again.

“Then I guess we have some research to do.”

 


	8. The Gate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘make the forgotten reminiscence to open the gate’

“I can’t believe your ‘Stiles’ sat here and translated these pages, with ADD” Lydia sighed flipping to the next page. They had been at it for hours. Lydia was transcribe the pages while Derek tried making sense of them.

“Here’s a smart man” Derek said fondly picking up another paper from their research notes. With Lydia’s translations, he would compare it to the information Stiles found out. Derek was trying to find a connection that might point them in the right direction.

Lydia handed him another page she translated, much quicker this time. Derek took it from her and sat back down going through the words and looking for correlations.

Finding nothing again, he sighed. He threw the notes down on the coffee table in front of him out of frustration. They’d been at this for hours now and still no further than when they first started out.

“Hey Derek, come look at this” Lydia said looking up from the book. Her hand was a blur as she wrote down the text and rewrote the translation into something more legible. Derek stood at joined her at the living room table.

“Read this” she said sliding the paper across to him. He rubbed his face tiredly with one hand and grabbed the paper closer with the other.

 _ _“That which has been erased still leaves a trail. The trail is warm until it cold”__  he read aloud. Derek grunted in annoyance. Of course the old book would speak in riddles. It was like have Deaton in literature form with them.

‘Wait a second’ he thought re-reading the passage again. ‘That which has been erased still leaves a trail’ he said again in his head this time.

“That means there’s a way to get him back” he concluded to Lydia’s nod.

“But how?” Derek asked.

“That’s what I think this passage is on. Everything is worded weirdly but it’s along the long of __‘make the forgotten reminiscence to open the gate’”__ she said.

“Gate? Gate of what” Derek asked. Lydia shrugged.

“I’m not sure. The rest of this passage just seems to be unintelligible” she said placing a bookmark on the page and closing the book. The action kicking up dust the book had been stockpiling for years.

Lydia coughed and waved away the smoke while Derek remained unfazed. She got up from the table and grabbed her laptop and put it back in her bag. She picked up and headed towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Derek asked confused.

“I have a hunch and if that hunch is correct, I need you to do something too” she answered only confusing the man even more.

\---

Derek groaned standing outside the familiar vet’s office. He dropped Lydia off a different destination, plan in mind, while she told him to come here.

He stayed in his car though. He didn’t see a point in repeating the same conversation only to get the same nothing answer. Lydia did seem dead set on them doing this around the same time though. Plus, she is doing everything in her power to help him get HIS mate back. Well, his would-be mate anyway.

Derek sighed against the steering wheel before finally switching the car off. He opened the door and grabbed his jack before heading for the entrance to the building.

\---

“Ms. Martin” greeted a friendly voice from the Stilinski residence. The beautiful brunette woman looked confused.

“What brings you around here?” she asked.

Lydia put on her best poker face to not give herself away. The woman standing before her, according to Derek, is dead and gone. She should NOT be here.

“Hello Mrs.Stilinski” Lydia answered. The mere mention feeling wrong and unnatural rolling off her tongue.

“I’m here to see the Sheriff. Is he in?” she asked innocently. Confused, but pleasantly oblivious, Claudia waved the girl in.

“Of course, please come in. He’s in his office working on some case. Even on his day off” she says playfully rolling her eyes.

“You know how men are. Can never stop til they dead” she laughs and Lydia smiles nervously. The morbid joke hanging in the air as they reached the living room.

“I’ll go get Noah in a second. Would you like any tea, water” she pauses for a moment, “coffee?” Lydia smiled politely.

“Tea would be wonderful ma’am.”

“Oh goodness please call me Claudia, ‘ma’am’ makes me feel ancient”

‘I’d rather not’ Lydia thought as the older woman laughed again heading for the kitchen.

\---

“Mr. Hale.” Deaton says coming out from the back. It’s still work hours so he’s dressed in his lab coat. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I have questions. Not ‘normal’ ones” Derek said simply. That was enough of a clue for Deaton to gesture for him to come to the back.

Deaton led them down a small corridor to an open office. Deaton took a seat but Derek remained standing.

“What can I help you with Derek?” he asked. Derek almost snorted as if the man assisted so easily.

“You remember when I was here earlier this week?” he asked looking over the awards on the back shelf. Deaton nodded before remembering the man’s back was turned.

“Yes, you left rather quickly too. Is everything alright?” Derek WISHES everything in his world could be a semblance of “alright” for once.

“No, it’s not. I’m not gonna beat around the bush. My mate is gone….erm would-be mate” he said with his arms crossed.

Derek has never seen the man surprised before this revelation.

“Are..you sure?” Deaton asked as if it wasn’t the dumbest question in the world.

“As sure as the ghost riders that erased him from our existence. Making me the only person who still remembers him.

“Oh dear. This is not good” the man said getting up hurriedly.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked following him out the office. Deaton went back to the front and send his last appointments home with promises of rescheduling on him. The man switched the sign to ‘closed’ and shut the doors.

When he was finished, he turned back to Derek with a grim expression on his face.

“If what you say is true, then you too are in danger Mr. Hale. I don’t remember much about the ghost riders. They’re not a subject you ever wish to have know” he said turning and rummaging through bookcases. He was erratically looking for something.

“Dammit, I thought I put it here” Deaton muttered.

“The book you’re looking for. It’s at my house. You let it to St-.. my mate” Derek said. Deaton heaved an unexpected sigh of relief.

“Well, from what I remember, the ghost riders will not just be satisfied with your ‘would-be’ mate’s disappearance. They will take anyone who remembers them as well.”

Derek almost couldn’t see a downside to seeing his mate and being able to talk to Stiles again. But he realized how grave of a situation that would be.

“That also means all of Beacon Hills is in danger by association” Deaton kept on.

“When is this town not?” Derek couldn’t help but snort. “What can we do?” he asked the man.

Deaton stared at the floor seemingly in deep thought. “We have to open a gate” he finally said after a moment.

“A gate?” Derek said remembering the one passage in the book.

“Yes. A gate or ‘rift’ between our dimension and the dimension your mate was taken to. Getting there is easy but getting out would kill a normal man”

“I’m no normal man if you haven’t realized.”

“Exiting a rift without another would kill a normal man yes. But to a werewolf you’d be burned alive. It would be agonizing.”

Derek didn’t know what to do with that information. “What if I turn him?” Derek asked hopefully.

“Are you going to turn the entire town then Mr. Hale?” Deaton said simply. Derek cursed and slammed a hand against the wall realizing his plan wouldn’t work.

There was a slight tremor then. Derek and Deaton looked at each other before the latter spoke.

“Where is Ms. Martin right now?” Deaton asked.

“I dropped her off at the Sheriff’s house” Derek replied.

“I think we just got our gate then” Deaton said stoically.


	9. Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you okay Mr. Stilinski?” she asked slowly easing inside the now familiar room. He looked around the room before answering answering.

“Noah its me, Claudia” the woman pleaded with her husband who looked at her with disbelief.

“No.....you’re not” Noah said sadly.

“How could you say that to me Noah, I’m your wife. Don’t you love me sweetheart?” the words pierced the Sheriff. It was a low blow, this apparition taking the form of his wife.

“Claudia Stilinski died long ago. I loved her more than anything. But she’s gone. She left me the best present of all though. My son, Mieczyslaw. But the kid could never get people to say his name right. So we called him Stiles.”

As the words left the Sheriff so did Claudia’s figure. She faded with a flash of bright light and murmured affections for her husband. Tears ran down the face of the Sheriff as he stood in the middle of his son’s empty room.

His son, he had a son. His name was Stiles. Where is he though?

“Sheriff Stilinski” piped a voiced from the doorway. Lydia Martin stood just outside the frame observing the man. Noah wiped tears from his eyes and gave a sad, tired smile to Lydia.

“Are you okay Mr. Stilinski?” she asked slowly easing inside the now familiar room. He looked around the room before answering answering.

“I’ll be fine once we get Stiles back” he said with determination in his eyes. Lydia nodded her confirmation. The unspoken agreement hanging between the two as Lydia gained an ally.

\---

“What do we do with this gate?” Derek asked Deaton who rummaged through drawers.

“Simple, Mr. Hale. You’re going to go through it and get your mate” Deaton said pulling out a jar of mountain ash.

“You told me it was impossible to come back through the portal without being burned alive” Derek said. Something about the word trickling in his mind. Like he was on the verge of a thought.

Deaton nodded. “Yes, but now that the Sheriff’s remembers his son, a chain of actions will occur. If my theory is correct, there should be a second gate for you to return from” Deaton said. He went around the room sprinkling mountain ash around the corners.

“How do we get the second portal to open then?” Derek asked. His eyes sparkling with the hope of getting Stiles back.

“We have to remind everyone who he is. Trigger their own memories of him. With that, another portal should open allowing you to collect your mate” the man said scrunching his eyebrows.

“There’s a ‘but’ coming isn’t there?” Derek said sighing. Nothing could ever just be simple for residents of Beacons Hills, nope.

“Unfortunately so. Each person that remembers will be targeted by the ghost riders. They will come for you too Mr. Hale.”

“I don’t care about them, I only want to get Stiles back!”

“And we will. Now we have work to do Mr. Hale” Deaton said grabbing a few books and his jacket.

\---

“What the heck is a Stiles?” Malia piped up from the assembled group. Derek has called Lydia from the car while he and Deaton were going to meet them at the Sheriff’s house.

The plan was of course, to make the pack remember who Stiles is. Lydia wasn’t having much luck in that department though. Sitting around the kitchen table sat Malia, Liam, Mason, and Hayden. Scott off to the left lost in thought with Kir,a and Parrish was situated behind Lydia.

“You guys have to try harder” Lydia said visibly frustrated. Only she and the Sheriff so far remembered Stiles along with Derek and Deaton. She turned to Scott in the corner.

“Come on Scott, he was- no, IS your best friend” she said to the man.

“Lydia I’m sorry, I just... I can’t remember” Scott answered.

“Well try harder!”

“Hey Lydia easy” Jordan said placing calming hands on her shoulders. He the rubbed the spot where he kept his hands trying to ease the stress from Lydia. Lydia took in a deep breath to center herself.

She closed her eyes and then the idea came to her. She went upstairs and told the rest to follow. As they reached the top, she opened the door that still remained obscured to the naked eye. The pack stood in shock as Lydia seemingly vanished through a wall.

The Sheriff followed in after her leaving the rest of the pack behind shock.

“You guys comin or what?” Lydia called from the other side. Tentatively, they filed in surprised that there was an actual room beyond the wall.

“What is this room?” Hayden said speaking up for all of them.

“This is Stiles’ room” the Sheriff answered. They all stood in shock at the hidden room but even more so to the portal that lie in front of them.

“What the hell is that?” Malia said looking ready to bolt.

“That, would be a gate” Deaton’s voice spoke up from nowhere.

“Great, now we’re hearing voices too?” Liam whined. Lydia rolled her eyes and held up her phone, which was on speaker.

“Deaton what is going on?” Scott spoke up.

“I need you all to listen. The only way Stiles can safely return is if we can get you to remember him. A second portal like the one you’re seeing will open as an exit.”

“We’ve tried to get them to remember and nothing’s worked” Lydia said into the phone running a hand through her head.

“Memory is fickle and tricky. One thing I’ve found to have consistent success is an object. There should be photos, objects, something you can use to remember.”

“Where are you guys anyway?” Lydia asked. It’s a lot longer than when they said they’d be here.

“We were on our way there but got sidetracked. Scott, Liam, Malia. Did you all hear a howl earlier? Derek said it came from the preserve” Deaton asked.

Scott nodded but then remembered the man couldn’t see them.

“Yeah, it sounded like a wolf. That’s why I tried calling earlier. Derek, I...I think I know who it is” he said.

“It’s my uncle, Peter” Derek growled out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like I'll be going over my planned 10 chapters for this. It will probably be 15 chapters at most. I update too slowly to get all my ideas out at once but i promised this story would be completed haha.


	10. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter lied on the forest floor in agony. As soon as he crossed the spatial boundary he let out a loud howl full of anguish. He look at his blistering, boiling skin in disgust.  
> The dark irony of being burned alive a second time was unfortunately not lost of him. He couldn’t even stand up.

_FLASHBACK_

The voices in her head wouldn’t stop whispering. It was driving Lydia mad. She couldn’t wait anymore for Claudia Stilinski to finish making the tea. Lydia got up from the couch and followed the voices where they got louder.

The voices got louder as she rounded the living room into the hall. She grimaced as they got louder the closer she got to the stairs.

Lydia climbed the stairs one by one until she reached the top and started down the hall. By now, the voices were maddening. When she passed in front of a part of the wallpaper, they abruptly stopped.

A few whispers picked up here and there as Lydia stared at the wall in front of her blankly. Without thinking, she slowly reached a hand up and ran it over the decor. Her nail caught a loose end of it, and Lydia started peeling it back.

She kept peeling and peeling until the wallpaper fell away on the ground. Once she was finished a good portion of the wallpaper left the wall barren. Lydia reached up a hand and tentatively touched the wall in front of her.

Her hand slid down to the slide until he caught on something unseen. It felt like a doorknob. Without a second thought, Lydia turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

“And just WHAT do you think you’re doing young lady!?” boomed a voice from down the hall. Lydia turned to see an angry looking Claudia Stilinski approaching her.

“Ruining my good wallpaper and making a huge mess on my floors” she continued. Lydia just stared at her blankly with her mouth hanging out.

The ajar door finally caught Claudia’s attention and she narrowed her eyes at Lydia.

“You don’t know what you’re seeing. You’re hallucinating!” she yelled.

“What’s going on here?” Noah called from behind.

__END OF FLASHBACK_ _

__

“Lydia” Parrish said shaking the girl out of her thoughts.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Guess I spaced out there” Lydia walked out of Stiles’ room and into the hall. Parrish followed after her.

“What were you thinking about?” he asked when they were alone.

Lydia sighed. “I can’t get the Sheriff’s confused face out of my head. The man looked so lost and broken” she said crossing her arms. A grim look plastered itself on her face.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. That woman wasn’t Claudia”

“I know. I just-” Lydia trailed off.

Parrish moved in to wrap his arms around her. He rubbed soothing circles on her back. “I know” he said simply.

\---

Peter lied on the forest floor in agony. As soon as he crossed the spatial boundary he let out a loud howl full of anguish. He look at his blistering, boiling skin in disgust.

The dark irony of being burned alive a second time was unfortunately not lost of him. He couldn’t even stand up.

Like tiny little pins and needles, he could feel his body healing. The terrible itch of having new skin grow over decayed skin along with muscles and hair was torture. He’d much prefer actual torture to this.

Minutes passed as Peter remained where he was after crawling out from the portal. His breathing was slow and labored and his blue eyes glowing as he grit his teeth in pain.

Off in the distance he could hear footsteps albeit very faintly. The cartilage on his ears finally healing up.

As the footsteps neared, Peter tried to make himself scarce. He crawled his way slowly over to a nearby tree. With great effort, he put himself behind it and pressed his back against the bark.

Looking around the side, he saw that he trailed blood over to his current position and cursed.

“It definitely came from over here” a familiar voice grunted. Peter sighed in relative relief that it wasn’t one of his enemies.

As Derek and Deaton entered the clearing, they spotted a burned Peter against a tree. Derek ran over to his uncle and knelt down examining his injuries.

“Are you okay?” Derek asked. Peter sent him a glare that made Deaton take a step back.

“Yes. Quite peachy” he said through clenched teeth. “No, I’m not god damn okay!”

“Sorry, bad question” Derek apologized. Looking at the mostly healed skin on his uncle, Derek stood back up.

“I’m going to help you up, are you okay to stand?” At Peter’s nod, Derek reached under to put Peter’s arm over his shoulder. He slowly rose with the man supporting his weight. Derek started back the way they came mindful of Peter’s limping. Deaton trailed after them.

They made it to the camaro where Derek deposited his uncle in the back seat.

“Nice to see I was so dearly missed” Peter hissed. Derek flinched at that. With everything surrounding Stiles, it never occurred to him what the other missing feeling was. He hadn’t even noticed his uncle’s absence.

“I’m sorry” Derek said shutting the door. The man looked down the steering wheel for a moment. Peter waved off his apology and turned away, sulking.

Deaton sent a blank look to Derek before Derek put the keys in the ignition and headed back towards the sheriff’s house.

\---

“Are you sure this Stiles guy is really real?” Liam said putting a baseball back on Stiles’ shelf. Mason rolled his eyes.

“How else would ‘you’ explain the secret teenager’s room in the sheriff’s house covered by wallpaper with all this stuff?”

Liam shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it was the sheriff’s when he was a teenager.” Mason smacked the back of his head.

“You’re lucky you’re cute cause you can be pretty dumb sometimes, you know that?”

“Hey!” Liam said rubbing the back of his head..

“Oh give me a break. You’re a werewolf. That was probably like a feather” Hayden said from the bed. She and Malia were gazing at the crime board in front of them trying to trigger any memories.

“Still nothing?” she asked Malia. Malia nodded her head keeping her eyes on the board.

“Derek’s here” Scott said from the doorway. Everyone in the room exited and went downstairs in the living room.

Derek’s camaro pulled up in the driveway. Deaton was the first to exit followed by Derek. Derek went around to the backseat and opened the door. Scott raised an eyebrow at the hands that swatted Derek’s away.

From the backseat came a man Scott instantly remembering upon seeing. As the trio came up to the porch, the sheriff opened the door for them.

“Peter” Scott said glaring at the man.

“My first beta” the warm greeted back.

“Not yours” Scott shot back.

“Clearly” the man said rolling his eyes.

“Enough” Derek boomed.

They joined the others in the living who caught Derek up to speed about Stiles’ room and Claudia. The sheriff made himself scarce in the kitchen and Derek could hear the man opening a bottle of booze.

“And you still couldn’t remember anything?” Deaton asked the group who nodded.

“How did you escape Peter?” Malia piped up from the love seat. All eyes turned to the coyote and she fixed her gaze on her biological father.

“I followed the trail of the ghost riders to the end of this tunnel. Where they take us...it’s like a train station. People there, constantly waiting for arrivals that don’t come. You lose yourself. Never knowing if you’re there minutes, hours, days, years. It all becomes a blur.” 

Peter sat on the arm of the couch near Liam. “Eventually I waited til they left and made my move. I knew I at least stood a chance against the barrier. I didn’t plan on how painful re-entry in our world would be.”

Derek had a sullen look on his face as he listened. That at least confirmed the whole burn theory.

“And you were with Stiles?” Lydia asked. Peter nodded.

“Is he alright?” Derek asked next. Peter gave the man an unreadable look before nodding again.

“He’s fine. All the people are. If they behave.” Derek didn’t want to know what he meant by that.

“So how are we going to get him back if none of us can remember?” Liam said practically growling. “We tried everything and none of it worked.”

“Oh for pete’s-” Peter said before plunging his claws in the both his and Mason’s necks. Derek stood shocked at the surprise move while Scott yelled the man’s name.

Scott moved to stop him when Deaton moved his arm in front him.

“But he’s hurting them!” Scott yelled. Deaton shook his head. Mason started to shudder as blood starting dripping from his nose.

“We have to stop him!” Scott said again.

“Wait” Deaton said simply watching Peter gasp as he removed his claws. The two boys breathing heavily.

“I remember!” they both said almost in unison. Peter sent a smug look to Scott who narrowed his eyes again.

“If you want something done, do it yourself” Peter said in a sarcastic voice that mirrored Stiles’ own.

Peter then went on to repeat the process to everyone one by one, unlocking their memories of Stiles. After he finished with Scott, Peter wiped blood from his own nose.

Scott sat gasping for air, his alpha eye shining a brilliant red.

“Stiles” he whispered. A tremor was felt in the home then. Everyone looking towards the other to confirm it was real.

“And that would be our return portal” Deaton said.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it worth the wait? I tried to write longer than i usually do cause I wanted to expand on the last chapter which i planned for this one and move the plot forward. Everyone remembers now so yay, new portal!


	11. I Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How long do we have to wait?” Derek asked Deaton irritably. The man in question standing off to the side with a mechanical remote looking contraption.   
> “It seems stable. Now is as good a time as any” Deaton replied looking up from the device.

“Stiles…” a faint whisper echoed. Stiles stares around in a haze looking for the source of the voice. Like an apparition haunting his sense of hearing, it continues to beat down upon him.

He remains in his seat even through the ordeal not convinced that what he’s hearing is real. Even more so, Stiles wonders by the name being called out sounds so familiar.

“Stiles” the voice calls out again and stiles can’t for the life of him figure out where that sound in coming from. Everyone else in the station remains silent, still, eyes staring blankly ahead.

“STILES!” a voice boomed throughout the tunnel. A gust of wind came with the commanding voice blowing newspapers and dust down the alleyway.

The yell seemed to bring Stiles out of his stupor. His blinked his eyes rapidly and took in surrounding in a more aware state.

“D…derek?” he called out confused. How could he possibly hear Derek Hale in here? Did he get taken too? That’d be about the second worst thing right now.

“Stiles, can you hear me?” the voice echoed above again. Stiles nodded then realizing Derek can’t see him yelled out an affirmative.

 

Meanwhile, Derek stood on the other side of the portal, in the Beacon Hills High School parking lot. Stiles’ jeep next to him as he looked at the ovular spatial rift in front of him

“How long do we have to wait?” Derek asked Deaton irritably. The man in question standing off to the side with a mechanical remote looking contraption.

“It seems stable. Now is as good a time as any” Deaton replied looking up from the device.

 

Stiles was running towards the direction of the voice now. The voice on the loud speaker above announcing the arrival of a train in half an hour. From there it was a slow frenzy of dazed passengers walking by. Each of them jostling Stiles as he tried moving through them.

“Hey! Ngh! Move, outta the way!” he called out but it felt on deaf ears. Just then, a roar rang out. A roar that Stiles knew too well.

He turned around to see scruffy black hair and stubble charging towards him with gleaming red eyes.

“Out of the way!” Derek yelled through a fang filled mouth. Some of the passengers snapped out of their dazed state and cowered from the werewolf in fear. Others looked on in astonishment.

“Derek?” Stiles said swallowing a lump in throat. He almost didn’t believe the figure in front of him really being Derek. It felt like another cruel trick.

“Sorry it took me so long” Derek said giving one of his rare smiles.

“I don’t believe it.”

“Well believe it cause-”

“No, I mean I really don’t believe you’re you” Stiles said. Derek’s smile dropped. “Prove it. Prove you’re really Derek Hale.”

Derek thought about it for a minute before stepping into Stiles’ space. He could hear the boy’s heart beating faster as he lent down. Derek captured Stiles’ mouth in a demanding kiss. He even stroked Stiles’ bottom lip nipping it with his teeth.

They broke apart leaving Stiles gasping for air. His lips now kiss swollen and his heart rate increased significantly.

“You know…you aren’t winning any point in that whole ‘real’ thing” Stiles said smirking.

Derek smiled again and hugged Stiles closed.

“I’ve missed you too sourwolf” Stiles said into his chest. After hugging for a few more moments, they broke apart to the sound of a whinnying horse.

“I think that’s our cue to leave” Derek said grabbing Stiles’ hand.

“Leave?” Stiles asked confused. He figured Derek got taken as well.

Derek nodded. “We’re getting out of here.”

\---

“It’s happening at the school too” Liam’s voice buzzed from Scott’s phone. Scott and Malia were staring at train tracks that started appearing around town. Everything was leading them to the school, and they stood in the parking lot where now only Deaton remained.

“Yeah that’s not the only thing either” Hayden said staring at the hallway’s new decor. Everywhere around them the school’s interior resembled the Phantom Station.

The people who haven’t been taken by the Wild Hunt are now in the same Trance-liek state and they zombily congregate to the school’s library. A departure board is seen in the middle. All the city names flip until they all land on the name “Beacon Hills”.

“This can’t be good” Liam said.

\---

Re-entry wasn’t as rough for them as it was for Peter. Especially since they both remained unburned. Just in case, Derek has wrapped his body around Stiles’ before jumping through the Portal.

They landed on the forest floor with an ‘umph’. Stiles rolled off of Derek and both were breathing heavily.

“Where are we?” Stiles asked standing up. He dusted dirt off his shirt and pants and offered a hand to Derek who accepted. He helped pull the man up as they took in their new environment.

“I’m guessing the forest from the looks of things” Derek said. His superior eyesight allowing him to adjust more quicker to the new light.

\---

A voice is heard on the intercom again as Mason joins Liam and Hayden in the Library. Lydia and Parrish following closely behind.

“I know that voice” Mason said blankly. He following the power lines on the floor with Hayden and Liam following him.

Scott went after Malia after she took off for the woods. While chasing her, she yelled that she could pick up Stiles’ scent again. When Scott focused his powers, he could smell him too. He almost shed a tear in relief.

Just then riders appear all around the school. Even the ones in the woods as Derek pushed Stiles behind him and wolfs out.

Lydia and Parrish take on the ones that have appeared in the library. Scott and Malia got sidetracked on their way to the woods as well. Malia is thrown across the dirt ground and Scott catches her before falling to his butt.

“Shit that hurts” Malia complained picking herself off of him.

As the fight in the woods continues a loud train whistle is heard with a faint light in the distance.

\---

“No!” Corey yells half in pain to Mason and the others who try to unhook him.

“Are you crazy? We have to get you outta here!” Mason said with worry painted on his face.

“Won’t…find…diverer” Corey says weakly. Mason and Liam look at the man confused before Hayden rapidly taps Liam’s arm.

“Diverter! Like an actual train. You pull it and switch tracks. Corey is making everything visible so if we unhook him, we can’t divert”

“And we can’t save the town” Liam finished.

“Shit shit shit” Mason cursed.

\---

The ghost rider knocks Derek back into a tree. He growls wiping blood from his mouth and stands up again. Stiles swings his metal bat at the figure again but he is easily knocked back down.

“Stiles!” Derek yells launching himself towards the ghost rider.

Scott and Malia were able to disarm the ghost rider and were about to have the upper hand before another showed up. Right when it was about to take its shot, Lydia’s banshee scream rang out and sent them both flying. They disappeared in a huff of smoke.

“Figured you needed” she said haughtily. Malia sent an appreciative smile her way. A figure brushed past both of them in a ball of flames and it took them a moment to noticed Parrish, who had gone into his hell hound state.

He bounded across the forest floor in a blur along the tracks which led him to a surprised ghost rider.

The combined force of he and Derek’s collision sent the ghost rider flying into a tree where he made a sizable dent.

The train whistle was heard again signaling how close it was. The light was significantly brighter as well. Parrish ran over to the incapacitated ghost rider and took its whip and threw it to Derek.

“Derek! The diverter!” he yelled as he tossed it his way. Derek had stiles propped up against a tree and caught the whip. He flung the whip towards the diverter and pulled with all his strength. The train tracks shift to the alternate set of tracks leading away from Beacon Hills.

The train roars by knocking Derek off his feet. As the whistle echoes off into the distance, back in the library Corey nods to the others. They pull the wires out from Corey’s body.

People in the library began regaining their sensing as others disappeared. The world of theirs separated from the ghost rider’s once more.

Back in the woods the remaining ghost riders put their weapons away. They start walking off into the distance with a crack of thunder and flash of lightning. With another flash of strange, iridescent green lightning, the ghost riders vanish.

The night sky becomes visible again and it seems like life was breathed back into the forest as well. Animal calls could be heard throughout it again.

\---

Most of everyone regroups at the Sheriff station. Weirdly enough, it seemed as if everything went back to normal. No one even showed having any recollection of the events that unfolded in Beacon Hills.

Mason, Liam and Hayden took Corey to the hospital where it too was back to normal. Melissa greeted them as if nothing happened an helped get Corey into a room.

\---

“I can’t believe Derek Hale kissed me” Stiles said making Derek playfully roll his eyes. They were back at the Stilinski residence on the couch. Lydia and Parrish in the kitchen making dinner together.

“I can’t believe it took her so long to kiss you” was Derek’s reply. Stiles stared at the man for a moment.

“And you don’t regret this right? This whole ‘mates’ thing?” he asked nervously. Derek took the hand he held and brought it up to his mouth before kissing the back of it.

“Wolves mate for life Stiles. You’re it for me” he said with another rare smile. The smile so contagious Stiles couldn’t help the one that broke out on his own face.

Soon, they’d be starting college in the fall. Scott at UC Davis and Stiles at George Washington in the pre-FBI program.

“Well then I guess that’s that then” he said settling back against Derek’s side. The relationship between them was still raw and new. Both of them trying to figure out how to navigate it. But with everything back to normal, they can finally forget about the rest of the world and figure it all out together.

After all, Derek never forgot his mate.

****END** **

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay, school and stuff is to blame bu the fic is done! I had rewritten this so many times til i was somewhat satisfied with it and finally sat down and finished it today. I hope you enjoy this ride of mine. It might be a bit before I put finger to keyboard again. I want to read more of other's work. But i have some plans in the works. Thank you all so much for kudo'ing, commenting and bookmarking!


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